AMR Customers' Late Move To Block Merger Perplexes Judge

By Eric Hornbeck

Law360, New York (November 20, 2013, 6:29 PM ET) -- A New York bankruptcy judge said during a hearing Wednesday that he was "mystified" that American Airlines customers challenging a proposed merger with US Airways hadn't tried to formally block the deal themselves since a federal antitrust settlement became public.

During a hearing in Manhattan, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean H. Lane said he didn't understand what had taken the customers so long to move for a temporary restraining order in their lawsuit, which had been in a holding pattern while the U.S. Department of Justice's similar...